Pain Management

Palpitations and dizziness prompted a previously healthy 21-year-old cable lineman from southeastern Pennsylvania to seek medical attention. An ECG showed first-degree heart block. The young man was scheduled for outpatient cardiology consultation, but his symptoms worsened and he presented to an emergency department with chest pain and fever 2 days later. Further evaluation revealed that for the past 3 weeks he had myalgia; arthralgia; fatigue; and an expanding, erythematous, nonpruritic rash on his trunk and extremities. He did not recall any tick bites.

Right upper quadrant pain of 24 hours’ duration prompted a 20-year-old man with a history of gastritis to seek medical attention. The pain was sharp and nonradiating, with no alleviating or aggravating factors. The patient occasionally consumed alcohol and regularly smoked cigarettes (tobacco and marijuana). He denied nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and diaphoresis. Right upper quadrant pain of 24 hours’ duration prompted a 20-year-old man with a history of gastritis to seek medical attention. The pain was sharp and nonradiating, with no alleviating or aggravating factors.

A 36-year-old man presented with persistent right shoulder weakness and pain (4 out of 10 on the visual analog scale). He also had an “odd pulling sensation” with arm adduction. During a wrestling match 2 years earlier, his arm was abducted and extended, after which he heard a popping noise and felt burning pain in his shoulder.

Acute gouty arthritis is frequently misdiagnosed or diagnosed late in its clinical course, and therapy is often suboptimal. Because the treatment of gout as a chronic, progressive disease has not been standardized, optimal disease management remains a challenge.

A 21-year-old man presented for evaluation after he sprained his right ankle while hiking. Radiographs of the ankle showed no fractures but revealed diffuse sclerotic lesions in most of the visualized bones.

Patients almost always believe that their anorectal problems are caused by hemorrhoids, regardless of the nature of their symptoms. They are often dismayed when we insist that they must come to the office for an examination before we can prescribe any treatment.

Establishing the cause of chronic pain is crucial because treatment based on the mechanism of the pain is most likely to be successful.

Pain is a significant public health concern. In a prevalence study conducted in Australia, 17% of men and 20% of women reported chronic daily pain. A US study found that 13% of the total workforce had lost productive time during a 2-week period because of a pain condition. Headache, back pain, and arthritis pain headed the list of causes.

For 2 months, a 68-year-old man had had progressive weakness, arthralgia, myalgia, and a rash on the arms and legs. Closer examination of the rash showed petechial lesions and follicular hyperkeratosis with perifollicular hemorrhage and corkscrew hairs. The patient also had poor dentition and swollen, purple, spongy gingivae.

Depression was diagnosed 6 years earlier in a 37-year-old woman; it has been successfully managed since then with fluoxetine and outpatient psychotherapy. Since her teenage years, the patient has also experienced sporadic (fewer than 3 or 4 per year) mild or occasionally severe headaches, which she has usually self-treated with over-thecounter (OTC) agents or "just slept off."

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- Bristol-Myers Squibb said its metastatic breast cancer drug ixabepilone (Ixempra) has received FDA approval for treatment of women with metastatic or locally advanced treatment-resistant breast cancer.

A 47-year-old woman complains of severe headaches that involve only the right orbital, temporal, and occipital areas. She describes the pain as sharp and stabbing, and she rates its severity as 9 or 10 on a 10-point visual analog scale.

HONOLULU -- An annual infusion of zoledronic acid (Reclast) following surgical repair of a fractured hip reduced the risk of a new fracture by 35% and mortality by 28% compared with placebo, researchers here said.

My patient is a 39-year-old man who has had burning pain and lack of muscle endurance in his bilateral quadriceps and bilateral deltoids for 4 years.

A 47-year-old woman who recently completed adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer has painless cervical lymphadenopathy of 1 to 2 cm. She has no fever, sore throat, cough, or unexplained weight loss, and she denies exposure to ill persons or animals.

TORONTO -- An investigational oil-and-water adjuvant for flu vaccines -- tested in conjunction with a vaccine against avian flu -- is safe, a researcher said here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After a 43-year-old woman returned from Peru with fever and an enlarged spleen, researchers here have identified a previously unknown pathogen related to those that cause trench fever and cat-scratch fever.

The headaches vary in severity, but she usually has severeheadaches (8 on a 10-point visual analog scale[VAS]) once or twice a week; she describes the latter assevere throbbing or pounding pain on the top of thehead but also involving the occipital and frontalareas and occasionally one or the other temple.

Here's a simple way to calculate the correct pediatric dosage of acetaminophen/codeine elixir. In children aged 3 to 10 years, give 1 mL per year of age at each dose.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- For the second time in two weeks, the FDA has informed physicians of an excess fracture risk in women taking an oral diabetes drug in the thiazolidinedione class. This time the drug is pioglitazone (Actos).

Images in HIV/AIDS: HIV-Associated Lymphogranuloma Venereum Proctitis

Exercise is a key part of your care plan. It promotes strength and flexibility, helps you maintain a healthy weight, reduces pain, and improves overall mobility and quality of life.

ABSTRACT: Heel pain that occurs with the first several steps in the morning and diminishes as walking continues is the classic symptom of plantar fasciitis. Assessment of risk factors, such as improper footwear, a change in physical activities, and a new running surface, is important. Radiographs are rarely useful. Plantar fasciitis is generally self-limited; symptoms typically take 6 to 18 months to resolve. Conservative measures may include relative rest, stretching, strengthening, shoe modifications, orthoses, night splints, NSAIDs, and ice therapy. A corticosteroid injection may be warranted in resistant cases. If extensive conservative treatment is unsuccessful, referral to an orthopedic surgeon may be indicated.

HAIFA, Israel -- The phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors led to a 26.7% successful intercourse rate, compared with controls, for men with diabetes-related erectile dysfunction, according to a meta-analysis.

Avian influenza primarily affects wild birds and domesticated poultry. Humans acquire avian influenza viruses chiefly through direct contact of the mucous membranes with secretions or excreta from infected birds or contaminated poultry products. The upper respiratory tract and conjunctivae appear to be the main portals of entry. Influenza pandemics occur when new virus subtypes emerge and become readily transmissible among humans. On average, pandemics occur about 3 or 4 times per century. Avian influenza is not a pandemic influenza. It is not easily transmitted among humans, and it has not been found in the United States. Therefore, at present, the risk to persons in this country is considered low.

A 47-year-old woman complains ofepisodic headaches that began severalmonths earlier and are accompaniedby sweating, flushing, abdominal pain,and vomiting; these attacks have progressivelyworsened. She takes no medicationsand denies fever, chills, andnight sweats. The medical history isunrevealing.

For the past week, a 16-year-old boy has had a progressively worsening dry, irritating cough; dyspnea on exertion; and intermittent fever and chills. During the past 24 hours, he has had no appetite and has vomited greenish material 3 or 4 times.

A 30-year-old woman complains that her headaches no longer respond to triptans; instead, they have increased in frequencyand severity. The pain interferes with her ability to work part-time and to take care of her 16-month-old daughter.

A 46-year-old man presents with right-sided facial paralysis. His symptoms beganthe previous evening when he had difficulty in closing his right eye; by morning,paralysis had developed. He also reports headache and mild photophobia.

Carbamazepine is associatedwith numerousclinically significantdrug interactions.1 Thiswidely used agent ismost commonly prescribed for eitherseizure disorders or adjunctivepain management.